Saturday, May 10, 2008

I've always wondered how the Greyhound station would fit in with all of the developments going up around it. It's been there way before "NoMa" became a real estate buzzword. At the least, I thought the station would be spruced up as its run-down state become even more glaring next to the new buildings going up.

Now I know that it's up for sale and that in fact, selling the property and moving Greyhound inside Union Station has been discussed for some time. It's also been reported that there is a lot of excitement (at least among real estate people) about Greyhound's decision to sell because its location is considered to be a key part of NoMa's redevelopment. The city would like to see First Street NE as the heart of NoMa and as a neighborhood retail center where NoMa residents can hang out.

It gets easier to visualize NoMa as a vibrant business district as we hear more about big leases being signed, etc. but I still can't visualize it as a "neighborhood." Maybe when the residential properties are completed and the Harris Teeter opens, it'll be easier to. But for now, a NoMa neighborhood is still a ways away with none of the residential properties finished (have they even started any of those buildings?) and with Greyhound still planning to lease back once they find a buyer.

I just noticed this bike rack by Pound today. It's kind of in a random location, not right by the metro entrance. Maybe they put them there in anticipation of more street traffic due to people attending the James Bond film festival or for the hotel and eateries opening up?

*Unveiling of nine floors of 2-D and 3-D visual arts presentations by more than 700 local and regional artists. *Flights of Fire--a fire dancing performance to be held outside at 9 p.m., Friday, May 9. *"Electro-acoustic psychedelic world dance music" by Baltimore’s Telesma at 9 p.m., Friday, May 9. *A Latin dance workshop with professional dance instructor Ibis Villegas, featuring salsa, merengue, samba, and other styles at 2 p.m., Saturday, May 10. *Progressive rock by Guardians of Iridescence at 8 p.m., Saturday, May 10. *"The Road to Success," performance art by Carolina Mayorga in the form of a new TV game show at 8 p.m., Saturday, May 10. *New wave/indie rock by Plastiq Passion, an all-girl band from Union City, New Jersey at 11 p.m., Saturday, May 10. *An expressive drawing workshop with Giliah Litwack at 1 p.m., Sunday, May 11. *"In-your-face" jazz/jam music "with a touch of funk" by Bethesda, JD-based Bassment Breaks at 4 p.m., Sunday, May 11.

Sunday, May 4, 2008

As noted earlier, Pound Coffee now has weekend hours. According to their website and from when I passed by yesterday, they are open from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. So no more excuses not to try them out!

Eckington DC Living

You know, you meet a lot of people who can't stop bitching about DC. But I've LOVED DC since landing here more than ten years ago. So this is gonna be a (mostly) happy and positive blog about living in my new neighborhood, Eckington, and in Washington, D.C.